Hand-rail for stairs



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN M. BULL, OF SIDNEY, OHIO.

HAND-RAIL FOR STAIRS.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 12,300, dated January 23, 1855.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN M. BULL, of Sidney, in the county of Shelby andState of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Hand-Railsfo-r Staircases and Similar Purposes; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full and exact description thereof, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings and to the letters and figures of referencemarked thereon.

The nature of my improvement consists in forming the curves and bentportions of hand rails forvstair cases and all other purposes of asimilar character, out of a series of blocks, connected together attheir joints, at suitable angles to obtain the required curve and allfirmly secured together by a bolt of the proper curvature passingthrough their center and provided with a screw and nut at each end ofthe bolt, or any other mechanical contrivance equivalent.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my improvement, Iwill proceed to r describe its construction and operation by referringto the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification and tothe letters of reference marked thereon.

Similar letters r-efer to corresponding parts.

Figure 1 represents a semicircle of a hand rail intended for a staircase, showing the method of securing the blocks composing the rail bymeans of an iron rod. Fig. 2 represents a curved rail made after myimproved plan, and Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the rail.

Blocks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, &c., compose that portion of the rail that formsthe curve 13, and 14, are short pieces of the straight part of the rail.a, a, is an iron rod made to pass through the center of each block andprovided with screws and nuts at each end for holding the wholetogether. This rod will always be bent or made into the required cu-rvebefore the blocks are placed upon them, as is represented in thedrawings Figs. 1 and 2. Railing made after this plan is stronger andeasier made than where it has to be cut out of the solid block as usual,which is the advantage that I claim for my improvement in forming therail out of blocks of wood o-r other material as represented in theaccompanying drawings. What I claim, as my improvement and de- .sire tohave secured to me by Letters Patent, 1s-

Joining a series of blocks of wood or other material together at suchangles as will form any circle, or curve that may be required and securethe same together by means of a rod provided with a screw and nut ateach end or any other mechanical equivalent, all

as represented in the accompanying drawings and for the purposessubstantially specified in the foregoing specification.

' JOHN M. BULL. Witnesses:

MARTIN BENSON, L. W. SMITH.

